Manchester United return to Premier League action this Sunday as they look to stay in the title race against Leicester City.
After Manchester City's 3-1 win over Arsenal on Wednesday night, United now sit just five points behind both title rivals in third, with the result handing Erik ten Hag's Premier League chances a boost. United enter the clash against Leicester following a 2-2 draw against Barcelona in the Europa League, with Ten Hag potentially set to rest some players ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford next week.
Marcus Rashford scored in the draw against Barca, meaning the forward has now found the net in his last four games in a row. Sunday's opposition Leicester have hit a patch of good form recently, scoring four goals in each of their last two games, beating Aston Villa 4-2 and Spurs 4-1.
READ MORE: Barcelona could be without three key midfielders for United second leg
So, could Ten Hag’s side continue their impressive home record this season? Let's take a look.
Man United vs Leicester score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that United could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: De Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Malacia; Fred, Fernandes, Sabitzer; Sancho, Weghorst, Rashford.
We predict that the visitors could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ward; Castagne, Souttar, Faes, Kristiansen; Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall; Tete, Maddison, Barnes; Iheanacho.
As they always seem to do at home, United controlled the opening stages, with the visitors struggling to maintain United's attacking prowess. The Foxes did themselves no favours though, with an error at the back allowing Wout Weghorst to put United a goal ahead.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was dispossessed by Bruno Fernandes in midfield, allowing the United captain to find Weghorst who peeled off the shoulder of Leicester's last man. As the defender backed off from Weghorst, the striker unleashed a powerful shot from range and found the far corner of the net to make it 1-0.
Ten Hag was dealt a blow after 24 minutes when United were reduced to 10 men, with Fred the culprit after picking up two yellow cards before the half-hour mark. Weghorst was taken off so United could bulk the midfield again, but despite this, they doubled their lead before the break.
Marcel Sabitzer weaved past three defenders with the ball to break into the box, and rather than shooting, the midfielder clipped the ball across to Fernandes who was unmarked on the penalty spot. On the volley, United's captain hit his shot into the ground, bouncing over the 'keeper and into the net.
United played much more defensively in the second half as Leicester tested their resilience, with James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Tete all coming close, only to be well denied by David De Gea. United's blunt defence did well to hold off the Foxes' attack and maintain their clean sheet in a 2-0 win.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Man United 2-0 Leicester
Here are the full-time stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that United could pick up a huge three points on Sunday, beating Leicester 2-0 in the simulation. A fantastic attacking display in the first half put United ahead, whilst a solid defensive display including a big David De Gea performance helped Ten Hag's side to victory.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments.
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